Paddling savvy

SHOWERY WELCOME: Gordon Brown, a kayak instructor from Scotland, has a shower courtesy of a blowhole in Akaroa Harbour.

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Beginner and intermediate sea kayakers will have the opportunity next weekend to learn and develop skills at Okains Bay, Banks Peninsula.

'Paddle your own canoe."

The phrase means to act independently and decide your own fate, admirable traits that lie at the heart of sea kayaking.

Once seated in a kayak, the paddler is truly the master of their own vessel and the choice of where to go and what to do is up to them.

Well, them and the wind, tidal streams, surf and a few laws.

But in general, sea kayakers can play where they choose, free of interference by people whose lives are controlled by rules. This freedom does have a price, however, part of which is to have the knowledge, skills, and equipment to remain truly independent by not getting into trouble that requires outside assistance.

To many people, a kayak is seen as little more than a toy, suitable only for mucking around close to the beach. To some, they are an accident waiting to happen, being in places and out in weather they have no right to be. To operators of power boats, both recreational and commercial, they can be a hazard, hard to see and sometimes ignoring basic maritime law. All of these descriptions can be accurate, but the sea kayak is also a vessel that has travelled on some of the most hazardous waters on Earth, makes play of surf that would cause most vessels to founder and can self- right after capsize.

The important distinction is that the kayak, unlike many other boats, requires more input from the operator, both to actually move and also to do so safely.

The onus to paddle safely is firmly on the kayaker, as those waving rule books believe that all problems in the world can be fixed by making new regulations.

Several countries, including parts of Australia, Canada, France and the United States have enacted ridiculous laws around sea kayaking, clearly written by people who have never paddled in their lives. Anchors have little place on a sea kayak, but some countries demand their carriage.

New Zealand is not immune from this mentality, with some local bodies passing regulations that went in the face of international maritime law, only to withdraw them when challenged.

"Education and liaison, not regulation" is a mantra that drives Kask (the Kiwi Association of Sea Kayakers), an organisation that works closely with central and local governments to address their concerns, as the number of kayaks increase.

Nationally, Kask holds an annual symposium for members, but most areas in the country have local networks, many of whom host their own events.

The Canterbury Sea Kayak Network has for many years run the Okains Bay Mini Forum, an informal gathering that has an emphasis on training and safety.

A free event, this year being held over the weekend of February 13-14, it is an opportunity for beginner and intermediate sea kayakers to learn and develop skills, assisted by volunteer instructors. Safety equipment, kayak fitting, surf survival, efficient paddling and rescue techniques are all covered. The mini forum is renowned for being very relaxed and having no set schedule, as topics are covered as requested.

Regardless of how skills are developed, sea kayakers need to be safe paddlers, as an army of rule- writers await their chance to begin work. Reports of kayakers in trouble give them an opportunity, and being forced to carry an anchor while paddling is an abhorrent thought.

Kayakers who truly want to paddle their own canoe and scorn a need for others' involvement would do well to heed another nautical- themed saying: "No man is an island."

If you do something dumb and get rescued, questions will get asked and the beast might stir. Better to let it sleep, and paddle quietly past, taking advantage of the stealth the sea kayak offers.

Further information: www.kask.org.nz 

- © Fairfax NZ News